Religion of 2170 AD
Citizens of all nations are adherents to a variety of religious traditions, both new and old. In the 21st century, a fierce anti-religious movement led to many people renouncing faith of all sorts, and purges such as the Nazi Holocaust has led to the-near extinction of several different faiths. Christianity Christianity has endured the ages well into 2170 AD, claiming around 30% of the Earth's population as it's adherents. All Christians affirm faith in one God, in Jesus the Christ as the promised Messiah, and of his integral role in the faith and salvation of all believers. Sigificant variations of eschatology, theology, and soteriology exist within the Christian world. Roman Catholicism '''exists in the enduring institution of the Catholic Church. When the Nazis seized power in the First Great War, the Papal Office continued to serve in Rome, and his successors made similar provisions for the continued existence of the Roman Papacy when the Soviets toppled the Nazi regime. Catholics believe that they are the sole legitimate representative entity of Jesus Christ and the Apostolic Commission issued by Jesus before his ascension to Heaven. As of 2170, Pope Joshua Augustus I holds the Papacy. The Church has maintained a liberal stance since the Vatican III reforms of Pope Francis in the early 21st century. '''Orthodoxy '''has endured in the Soviet Union in minor forms; the majority of Soviet citizens appear to be nonreligious, however. Orthodoxy makes claims similar to the Catholic Church, in that they are the sole legitimate representative body of Christ and his continuing mission; however, doctrinal differences exist in the lack of Marian devotion that is seen in Catholicism and in the embrace of the doctrine of Theosis. They also totally reject the office of Pope. '''Protestantism '''is a wide umbrella term used to describe a series of movements that have roots in the 16th century separation of theological schools with the Catholic Church. Continuing Protestant movements include but are not limited to Methodism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, and Lutheranism. These faiths survive primarily in the European Union and the North American Technate. '''The United Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has prospered in the 21st and 22nd centuries and has enjoyed a significant progression of doctrine and development. Their claims include an unbroken line of authority descending from Jesus Christ with the Restoration of the Gospel in the 19th century beginning with Joseph Smith, Jr. and claim to be the legitimate successor of the Church restored by Smith in 1829. In 2041, several prominent leaders in the LDS movement met at a conference in Independence, MO. On April 6th, 1840, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Community of Christ, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), the Church of Jesus Christ with the Elijah Message, and the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints formed As an institution, they are one of the few who have continued to exist on the North American Continent outside of the Arcologie system. They are dually headquarted in Salt Lake City of Zone 0 and in Independence, Missouri of Zone 5. In the latter, the Church houses 21.3 million people in a communal society they call New Jerusalem . Additionally, Christianity survives in a number of minor organized and unorganized iterations throughout the globe. Judaism The 20th century Nazification of Europe led to the near-extinction of the Jewish faith. Remaining Jews fled in a further diaspora around the world. In 2021, the Islamic Caliphate officially recognized the legitimate existence of Israel under Islamic rule, and issued an edict saying it would fully fund and re-establish the Jewish state in it's traditional, Biblical borders. Responding to this call over the next several years would be a total of 24,541 Jews; demographers estimate that this population is all that has survived the Nazi purge. Hinduism Hinduism continues to be the primary faith of the Indian Republic, claiming 90% of it's population. An additional 5% of it's population are adherents of Buddhism, with the remainder being primarily Christians and Muslims. Minority Faiths Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and pagan faiths continue to exist in statistically significant minority numbers in unorganized communions throughout the world, concentrated mostly in the North American Technate and the African Alliance. Caliphate Islam The political formation of the Islamic Caliphate in 2017 was accompanied by a unification of the Islamic faith, in which a council of Muslim leaders gathered at Mecca officially declared the Five Pillars of Islam to be the only defining traits of a Muslim, and rejected all other debates over leadership as superfluous and unnecessary. They pointed towards the teaching of the Prophet Mohammed of the essential unity of the Muslim community, the umma, for support of this notion. 'The Five Pillars of Islam' #Publicly proclaim that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets. #Make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your lifetime if you are able. #Give charity to the poor. #Fast during the month of Ramadan. #Pray daily. The Caliphate recognises seven expressions of Islam as legitimate: Sunni, Druze, Shia, Kharijite, Twelver, Sufism, and Ahmaddiya. It is illegal in the Caliphate not to believe in the one God and is punishible by death. Significant minority poplulations of Christians and Jews exist within the Caliphate and are openly tolerated and accepted. The political and religious leadership of the Caliphate are virtually indistinguishable. Sheikhs serve as as clerical leaders while Imams serve as both regional governors and lay leaders. The faith has taken on a notoriously insular and militaristic tone. Several fatwas (official Islamic proclamations) openly proclaim that the end-goal of the Caliphate is global domination, and many prominent leaders proclaim this to be the "sixth pillar" of Islam. Significant minority populations of Muslims exist in the Indian Republic, the North African Alliance, and the North American Technate. These Muslim minority populations may be Muslim without denomination, or subscribe to one of the main variations of the religion. However, they are not politically connected to the Caliphate and do not necessarily recognise the Caliphate as the sole legitimate ecclesiastical body of Islam. Relations with other religions The Caliphate is tolerant of other monotheistic religions, including Judaism and Christianity. Relations with Mormonism and Caliphate Islam have been limited. Tensions between Hindu and Muslim practitioners continue to exist. Most Muslims of Indian heritage have fled to Caliphate-controlled Pakistan. Many official Fatwas exist concerning Hinduism, declaring the religion to be pagan and idol-worshiping and deserving of exterminations in Allah's cause. The Caliphate openly persecutes adherents of Sunnism (see below) as heresy. Unsubstantiated but significant accounts of Caliphate-sponsored raids into the mostly-Sunni Empire of the Sun exist, but have not yet been proven. Because of the persecution of Sunnists, Muslims exist in uneasy tension with Zionist believers, a small minority of which exist underground in the Caliphate. Zion, in turn, harbors a population of Muslims not affiliated with the Caliphate and are largely left to practice their religion undisturbed. Zionism Zionism is the faith proclaimed by Endenia, the female prophet of the South American nation of Zion. Endenia appeared in 2034 as a peacemaker who condemned the violence wracking South America, urging people towards peace, community, and love. She traveled from place to place performing miracles such as healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and even resurecting the dead. In her wake were strong communities of the faithful. Teachings Endenia taught the love of the Creator for all of creation, and that it is the will of the Creator for creation to live in peace and harmony. She often quoted the teachings of Jesus along with the Hebrew prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah. As such, the name "Zion" very quickly began to be applied to the growing community of faithful, most of whom came from backgrounds in Abrahamic religions; thus, the terminology she used was very familiar to her early adherents. The Prophet Herself openly professes faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah and as God on earth, and so Zionites regard themselves distinctly as followers of Jesus. However, a differentiation is drawn between traditional Christianity and the Zionist faith for the latter's communal lifestyle, unregulated ecclesiastical structure, and acceptance of the Book of Zion as scripture. Endenia is regarded as a Prophet by her adherents. She made few claims regarding herself; when faithful and opponent alike asked her about her past, she always gave the same answer: "Who I am is not important, only my message is." '' Regarding scripture, her own teachings were compiled from oral accounts by her adherents shortly after the first Zionist communities arose. She has encouraged her adherents to read the New Testament, and has also quoted from the Qur'an, the Torah, the Prophets of Israel, the Tao Te Ching, and the Dhammapada. '''Structure' Zionism has a loose ecclesiastical structure, consisting of leaders of increasing authority, given by the Prophet Herself. Practices Endenia teaches that "faith, love, and charity are the heart of all religion; all else is mere appendage", and quotes many teachings and parables of Jesus and the Apostles to support her claims. She criticizes empty ritual and encourages her followers to be free of it. Zionists have been known to engage in corporate worship and pray in a variety of fashions; meditation and chanting has also been observed. The most frequent religious obligation fulfilled by Zionists is the giving of charity. Relations with other religions Tensions exist between Caliphate Islam and Zionists due to the underground minority population of Zionists which exist in Caliphate territory, mostly concentrated in Palestine. Sunnist leader and religious founder Johtaja regularly meets with Endenia and are each other's guests in each other's nations several times a month. Zionism is generally tolerant of all other religions. Sunnism Sunnism (not to be confused with Caliphate Sunni Islam) is the singular religion of the Empire of the Sun. It was established by Johtaja, who serves as the absolute political and religious leader of the Empire. 'Teachings' Johtaja maintains that his teaching represents a clear manifestation of the single primordial faith that God has instilled all people; as he says, "faith is a natural part of the human condition." As human beings are created in the Image of God, Johtaja teaches that to seek the inner Image of God is to find God Himself. According to Johtaja, everyone has a personal conception of God, called Bhagwan, that is based in ultimate reality, Brahman. The ultimate goal of Sunnism is to completely merge one's Bhagwan with Brahman; to see God as God is. The fullness of God is called plemora, and it is a theological concept, not a name. Johtaja does not give specific ecclesiastical advice, preferring to remain among his people as one of them, a simple devotee. He also discourages his followers from writing down his teachings, claiming that there is enough scripture in the world already which contains more than enough wisdom to ponder for a life time. Sunnist adherents read the Torah, Quran, New Testament, Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads most frequently. 'Practices' Empire residents, as well as adherents of Sunnism in other nations, pray at least once daily. Prayer in Sunnism is intimately personal. Most follow Johtaja's example of not being seen by anyone else as well as not letting anyone else know that you are praying. Meditation is also a daily part of Sunni life. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are the most common days dedicated to prayer, as most Sunni adherents come from an Abrahamic faith and are accustomed to keeping one of these three days holy as a Sabbath day. 'Metaphysics' Metaphysical precepts of the faith are the divine nature of all human beings, the supremacy of mind over matter, a gnostic/dualistic world view, and the very real power of faith as the ability to manipulate existence. Additionally, he taught that there is but one God. Much of the terminology in Sunnism is borrowed from other religions. In Sunnism, all human beings are expressions of God. It is impossible for someone to not know God, according to Johtaja. Notions of salvation are relatively absent from the faith, as are concepts of good and evil. God is defined as absolute love, with all other attributes of God being expressions of this unbreakable, eternal love. Maya ''is a central concept in Sunnism. Though there is, in truth, only one God, according to Johtaja, there appears to be two deific forces at work. Johtaja calls his second "deity" the Demiurge or Yaldaboath. In every recorded instance, Johtaja has taught that the Demiurge does not really exist; rather, the Demiurge is a result of humanity's collective idolatry. 'Variations in Faith' Given that Johtaja is still alive and well, there are no theological divisions in Sunnism. Much of Johtaja's teachings are debated philosopically throughout the Empire, but his basic teachings are upheld as truth. Th e faith has no ecclesiastical organization, and so it is difficult to determine demographics. However, it is safe to assume that the majority of the Empire's inhabitants are Sunnist adherents. Within the Empire exists a variety of internal movements, the largest of which is popularly called '''Ahmadhiyya Sunni Islam '(not to be confused with Caliphate Ahmadhiyya Islam), which regards Johtaja as the promised Madhi of Islam. The majority of this movement's believers came from the Sunni and Sufi traditions of Islam, many of whom defected from the Caliphate. These refugees found an immediate affinity with Johtaja for the name of the faith, the open proclamation of the oneness of God, and the complete lack of ecclesiastical organisation. Believers anticipate the imminent return of Jesus Christ within their life time. Johtaja has neither confirmed nor denied their claims, but welcome them into the Empire. Additionally, Johtaja has stated that all religions contain truths of this one true faith. Sunnism is regarded as the true faith of God for it's essential nature; that is, it is the relationship one has with God that makes it true rather than the terminology and symbolism used. 'Scripture' Sunnism has no defining book of scripture, nor has he ever written anything himself. Johtaja encourages his followers to find books of revelation that speak to them personally and to memorise the sayings of Johtaja, but never to write them down. Johtaja has quoted from the Torah, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Qur'an, and the Upanishads in various public sermons. 'Relations with other faiths' Sunnism shares many similarities with the Zionite faith, and the two entities enjoy full communion. Johtaja and Endenia meet behind closed doors regularly and are familiar media figures in nations with free press. The Caliphate openly condemns Sunnism and it's adherents as heretics deserving to be put to death under a literalist interpretation of Sharia Law. They cite a violation of monotheism as their principle greivance. Volkenglauben Volkenglauben is the primary creation of Fourth Reich leader Seigfried Vollbracht and Christian Johannsen who holds the dual office of Minister of Religion and Der Weissenger. Under the secular leadership of Seigfried Vollbracht, the Fourth Reich has officially embraced a new religion centered around the worship of Adolf Hitler as the Messiah of the Aryan Race who will one day return. The first ecclesiastical figurehead of Volkenglauben is Christian Johannsen. According to Vollbracht, who serves as a the religion's figurehead along with the state's secular leader, Hitler never died but was rather assumed into Himmel, the afterlife to which all Aryans are preordained and all non-Aryans eternally excluded from. Beliefs God is viewed in a Deistic sense as a divine clock maker. Unlike traditional Deism, Volkenglauben teaches that God chose the Panaryan race. Adolf Hitler is regarded as the Eternal Leader of the Panryan Race. Role of Seigfried Vollbracht Practices Scripture Criticism Virtually every aspect of the religion has been openly condemned by Endenia and Johtaja. Several notable fatwas have been issued by sheikhs of the Islamic Caliphate. Additionally, the Pope and the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have strongly condemned Volkenglaubish rhetoric and practice. Outside the Fourth Reich Volkenglauben has become Religion of the Xiōngdi Huì Movement Very little is known about the religious bent of the Xiōngdi Huì (The Brotherhood); the only confirmed information has come from interrogative memos from the Soviet Union, in which Brotherhood members were kidnapped and tortured. They revealed that leadership personnel within the Brotherhood encourages a form of mystical Taoism, but also believes in the divine favor of Heaven on their mission. Little else is known. Category:2170 AD